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APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1910. I 991,353. Patented May 2,1911.

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. ATTORNEY8 JULES OPFERG-ELT, 0F HONOLULU, TERRITORY OF HAWAII.

CONVEYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1911.

Application filed September 12, 1910. Serial No. 581,507.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, Jones OPFERGELT, a citizen of the-United States, and a resident of Honolulu, in the county of Honolulu, in the Territory of Hawaii, have invented a new and Improved Oonveyer, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention is an improvement in conveyers for loading material, such conveyers as embody two or more derrick cars and carrying the hoisting and conveying cables.

The conveyer is particularly designed for loading sugar-cane which has been bundled and stacked in the field, to dummy railway cars such as are used on large plantations.

The invention has for its object a conveyer of this character in which the derrick cars are provided with appliances to stably and stationarily hold them during the loading operation, and adapt heavy loads to be carried on the cable without danger of the cars overturning or otherwise deranged or accidentally shifting.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan of a conveyer embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing the bundles of cane within the slings in the course of loading; Fig. 8 is a side View, partly in section, of the upper portion of the derrick of one of the derrick cars; and Fig. 4: is a vertical section on the line 4L-4 of Fig. 3.

In the construction of my improved conveyer, I employ two or more derrick cars 5, ordinarily three, with the outer cars each provided with one or more hoisting and conveying engines 6, driving two sets of drums, each set of drums comprising a hoisting and conveying drum 7, and a supporting cable drum 8, the corresponding drums of the two sets similarly disposed at each side of the center of and longitudinally of the car. For each set of drums the derrick 9 of each car is provided near the top with sheaves 11 for the passage of a supporting cable 12, and a hoisting and conveying cable 18, the cable 12 being wound about the drum 8, and after passing over one of the sheaves 11, is carried to and attached to the upper portion of the derrick of the intermediate car 5. The cable 13 is passed a number of times about the drum 7, and the end portions carried over the sheaves 11, one to and over the sheave 14 of a traveling block 15, and the other over a sheave 16,, carried by the derrick of the intermediate car, and thence brought back and attached to the block 15. That portion of the cable 13 which passes over the sheave 1 1 is provided with a suitable sling 17, which is passed about the bundles of cane.

The derricks of the outer cars are each provided with a downwardly and outwardlyinclined brace 18, which is designed to engage the ground some distance outwardly from the car bed, as best shown in Fig. 2, and prevent the car from overturning. Each brace 18 is adjustable lineally so that it is adapted to conform to the contour of the ground at the side 01": the track, this adjustment being preferably effected by providing the brace at its upper and under side with a rack 19, which, as best shown in Fig. 4, seats on a pinion 20 which is carried in a block 21 arranged at the top of the derrick. Each of these blocks has a guide 22 for the brace 18, and is carried on a vertical axis, which enables the brace to be swung from one side of the car to the other so that the car is adapted to be used in loading at either side.

The shaft on which the pinion 20 is carried is extended and provided with a sprocket wheel 23 at each side of the block 21, suitably driven from the engine through a belt 24, thus adapting the brace to be worked from the motor, it of course being understood that the provision of the sprocket wheel 23 at each side of the block 21 enables the application of the'belt when the brace is at either side of the car. The blocks 21 are shown best in Fig. 3 to be made of two sections, with the upper section hinged on the shafts carrying the pinions 20 and sprocket wheels 23. This adapts the braces to swing up out of the way of any obstruction when the car is in motion. The cars 5 are each also provided with holding devices 25, two of these devices being shown, hinged at each end of the car to swing vertically to and from engagement with the bed of the road between the rails. By dropping these devices, the car is prevented from shifting on the rails, and as the braces 18 prevent the car from overturning and substantially brace the derported 011 the cables without danger.

The intermediate derrick car 5 is shown to have the sheaves 11, which enables it to be used as one of the motor cars in case one of such cars should break down. In this event the hoisting engine is shifted from the broken car to the platform of the idle car and the braces, together with the guide blocks, applied to the derrick. If desired, however, the intermediate derrick cars can at all times be fitted up like the outer cars.

The dummy cars on which the cane is loaded travel between the derrick cars, the cane being placed in bundles and stacked in piles at each side of this car. By this arrangement, the cane is rapidly loaded with the aid of my improved conveyer, and the field cleared in a comparatively short time.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a conveyer, a derrick, a guide block pivotally supported above said derrick to swing about its vertical axis, a shaft journaled in said block, a pinion rigidly mounted on said shaft, and a brace having a rack thereon engaging said pinion, whereby the brace may be made to swing to either side of the derrick.

2. In a conveyer, a derrick car, a guide block carried by the car derrick and mounted to turn thereon on an approximately vertical axis, and a downwardly and outwardlyinclined brace slidably adjustable through the guide block.

3. In a conveyer, a derrick car having a hoisting engine, guide blocks carried at the upper portion of the derrick adjacent to each end of the car, and each mounted to turn on an approximately vertical axis, each guide block having a pinion, a brace for the car slidable through each guide block and having a rack at the under side seating on the pinion, and means to drive the pinion of each block through the hoisting engine.

4. In a conveyer, a derrick, a guide block positioned over the derrick, said block having an aperture extending therethrough, a shaft journaled in said block centrally of said aperture, a pinion on said shaft in said aperture, an inclined guideway in said block opening into said aperture, a brace movable in said guideway, and a rack on said brace engaging said pinion.

5. In a conveyer, a derrick car, a guide block carried by the car derrick and mounted to turn thereon on approximately a vertical axis, said guide block having a downwardly-inclined guideway near its upper end, and a downwardly and outwardly-inclined brace movable in said guideway.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J ULES OPFERGELT.

Witnesses RALPH A. KnARNs, G. K. LUKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

